The purpose of this manual is to provide information that may be needed during a situation where we as ARES members[1] are asked to participate. This could include a:
Disaster or other emergency situation,
Simulated emergency test (SET), or
Public service event.
This document specifies the recommended initial, ongoing and concluding action required for the above situations. If the emergency event is immediate as you are reading this see ‘First Response’.
It is important to remember that we as an ARES group must be trained in the efficient handling of emergency as well as routine messages (traffic). Establishing and operating a net is central to emergency communications and to most other events, as is the deployment of a net control station as described in ‘Net Control Protocol’.
The most important training event for ARES is the annual ‘SET’ but public service events and exercises such as the ARRL Field Day also hones our skills. We participate in many events during the year as listed under ‘Public Service Events’.
The section on ‘Standard Operating Procedure’ outlines the expected role of the EC and the AEC as well as message handling procedure and our preferred operating methods and frequencies. There is also an extensive section on LNL ARES Equipment and guidelines for its use. Our membership list, including a chart of the present coordinators and a list of emergency numbers, is contained in appendix format for ease of updating.
Excellent direction is given in the RAC EMERGENCY COORDINATORS MANUAL to many of the topics covered here. In some cases there will be a reference to it. Where directly relevant it will be reproduced here.
The most important part of this manual is the ‘Table of Contents’. Please use it.
[1] If required this manual may also be used by the EC and ARES members in the Northeast portion of Lanark County, presently comprised of Beckwith and Mississippi Mills townships as well as the town of Carleton Place.